The Panasonic Panthers make efforts to educate the next generation with Hirakata City Gojo Elementary School

Gojo Elementary School’s sixth graders (students graduating in the 2021 academic year) work with the Panthers in the 70 hours a year the students spend in “integrated studies.” It all started with a volleyball class that we held when they were in the fourth grade. Following that, the athletes and children became friendly through activities such as serving as safety monitors for the children when they go home from school. However, we were surprised that they chose us for a study topic! The sixth graders go around to the other grades to introduce the team, hang up profiles of the athletes in the school hallways, and post the match schedule. It’s like Gojo Elementary is part of the Panthers team! The entire school have become Panthers fans, and it’s really encouraging. We want to respond to the children’s boundless enthusiasm, so we play our best in every match. We’re looking forward to the day we can tell them, “We couldn’t have won the championship without the support of everyone at Gojo Elementary School!”

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have less chances to directly communicate with the students. Despite the situation, we still connect with the class and receive activity reports as well as communicate while fielding questions, all via ZOOM. It’s really fun to connect with the children. When they look at tall athletes, their eyes get wide and they look stunned, and I think that kind of honest reaction is really nice (laughs). Back when I was a child, I participated in my home area’s V League team volleyball class. I still have the feeling of looking up to those athletes, so I see it as my duty to give that experience back to the children. By being an athlete that the children can look up to, I believe I can contribute to the expansion of the volleyball world.

Usually, we hold about 70 volleyball classes in every region of the country. We can’t make the rounds during League play, so we usually teach during summer. It’s not always easy to coordinate the activity around practice sessions, but I think the children are helped more by receiving lessons from currently active athletes, so going forward I’ll continue to make this activity important. And in the future, if the children I meet here become athletes, I think that would make me happier than anything. My fellow athletes and I often talk about the activity, such as when we see a child with promise, or when we feel like we failed to grab the student’s interest with a talk (laughs). Going forward, I hope to build interest and excitement toward volleyball, while enjoying the activity with all of the athletes.

Panasonic is sympathetic to the aims of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, which are to “realize a better world and inclusive society.” The company has been providing support as a Worldwide Partner to the Olympics since 1987 and the Paralympics since 2014. And going forward, it will offer educational opportunities that draw out the potential of students through various sports activities in addition to volleyball lessons. We will contribute to the development of the young generation who will be responsible for carrying the future.